Pop Music | Record Rack

In Brief

** 1/2 Rachelle Ferrell, "Individuality (Can I Be Me?)," Capitol. This genre-busting vocalist's third collection is polished but emotionally raw at heart. Reflecting on romantic betrayal, loyal friendship and unrequited desire against a '70s-style funk/jazz/R&B-pop backdrop (courtesy of producer George Duke), Ferrell masterfully slips from husky to sweet, stormy to smooth. As for being herself, well, many singer-songwriters put a positive spin on bad times, but few spice it with such viscerally intense vocal improvs.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.